Staying home for your birthday party? Great idea! A house birthday party enables you and your guests to choose exactly the celebration you want and be as loud and messy as you like. If you think a house birthday party will be dull, think again. With a little research and creativity, you'll discover there are more things you want to do at your party than time to do them.

Play

No party would be complete without a little friendly competition. Before the party, hide tiny prizes all over the house. Split guests into teams and provide a list of clues about the items' locations. The team that finds the most items wins. Rent an inflatable slide and put it in the backyard. If the weather is hot, set out a water slide and cool off together. Set up a card table inside and have a poker tournament. Sit in the living room and play Mafia. Hang a pinata and let guests each take a crack at it.

Eat

Feed your guests well and they'll remember your party fondly. Instead of just serving hamburgers and hot dogs, set up a baked potato buffet or offer multicultural dishes, such as Asian and Hispanic. If your guest list is relatively small, hold a potluck dinner with a twist: every guest brings food from his favorite fast-food restaurant. For dessert, set up an ice cream sundae bar or make homemade milkshakes. You could also have a bakery make a big gourmet cupcake for each guest with his name written on it in icing.

Relax

Hire a masseuse or manicurist to give each of your guests a relaxing party treat. Create a zen-like atmosphere with scented candles and soft music. Or, arrange comfortable seating, rent a movie projector and show a film in your back yard. Ask a friend with a large online music library to play DJ and clear a space for a dance floor where guests can dance away stress. Rent or buy a large above-ground pool and let guests float or splash the day away.

Create

Pass out disposable cameras to your guests and let them spend an hour taking pictures. Have one guest take them to a one-hour photo developing store and bring back the photos. Make a scrapbook together. Hand out plain white T-shirts to guests and supply fabric paint. Let them make a personalized party souvenir T-shirt. If all your guests are adults, supply a large variety of mixers and ask each to bring a bottle of their favorite liquor or liqueur. Spend the evening making up cocktails.

References

About the Author

Kate Bradley began writing professionally in 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and a minor in German from Berry College in Rome, Ga; TEFL/TESOL certification from ITC International in Prague; and a Master of Arts in integrated global communication from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.